Vacuum controlled carburetor heater



Feb. 13, 1934. c, KIRBY VACUUM CONTROLLED CARBURETOR HEATER Filed Aug. 12, 1929 2 Sheets-sheaf 1 Feb. 13, 1934.

c. H. KIRBY VACUUM CONTROLLED CARBURETOR HEATER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug; :2. 1929 I m JHWM x 1 5.5.1: 2 w 7 fr/m Patented Feb. 13, 1934 parts!) STATES VACUUM CONTROLLED CARBURETOR HEATER Charles H. Kirby, Flint, Mich, asslgnor to Marvel Carburetor Company, Flint, Mich, a corpo tion of Illinois Application August 12, 1929. Serial No. 385,383

' 12 Claims. (01. 123- 122) This invention relates to an improved and simplified form of control for the heat supplied to the carbureted mixture for internal combustion engines.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved and simplified automatic control of the heat transferred to the carbureted mixture during its passage to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine. It is well known to those skilled in the art that in applying heat to the carbureted mixture in order to improve the distribution of a wet mixture that the addition of a sensible amount of heat decreases the weight of a unit volume or charge and hence reduces the maximum power output for a given engine cylinder. On the other hand when the engine is idling the intake manifold velocity is at its lowest point and there is a tendency for the fuel to separate out of the air stream as well as setting up an unequal distribution to the different cylinders which results in irregular running of the engine. It has heretofore been proposed to link a heat control valve to the throttle in such a way as to progressively cut down the heat supply as the throttle is opened. My invention contemplates the use of the varying intake manifold suction to operate a diversion valve which varies the path of the mixture into and out of contact with a heating medium. My invention does away with linkage adding to the complication of the throttle control and has important advantages thereover as the heating effect is better proportioned to the requirements of the engine as the manifold suction varies for high and low speed idling as well as for high and low speed at full power,more heating effect being desirable at low speeds, because of the low mixture velocity.

It is another object of this invention to provide a manual control for the heat supplied to the in take manifold in addition to the automatic control in order to provide a seasonal or temperature control.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawmgs.

This invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a manifolding system for internal combustion engines embodying the features of this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section of the intake manifold riser in a plane parallel to that of Fi ure 1.

Figure 3 is a section ,on the line III-III of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section of a slightly modified form of the invention taken at right angles to that ofFigure 2.

Asshown on the drawings: I

An exhaust manifold 10 is shown as having three collectingports 11, the central one being shownin dotted lines in Figure 1 and having a special conduit 12 leading to the back of the manifold in order to provide clearance for the intake manifold system. 7

A carburetor 13 with the usual throttle 14 in a jacketed outlet end 15 is secured to the bottom of a riser conduit 16 enveloped by a jacket 1'7 separated into two ducts by diametrically disposed partltions 18, the carburetor outlet jacket serving to unite the lower ends of the two ducts. The riser conduit in turn is secured to a member 19 forming a T, the horizontal branches 20 from which lead to intake ports 21. This T is provided with a jacket 22 and partitions 23 forming upward continuatlons of the ducts previously mentioned, these ducts opening into a chamber 24 disposed crosswise and in front of the exhaust manifold and separated therefrom by a wall 25 in the chamber having ports 26 opening directly into the exhaust manifold on either side of the chamber.

A cover 27 closes the outer end of the chamber 24 and supports a shaft 28 also supported by the Wall 25, this shaft having an external pointer 29, and a disc valve 30 cooperating with the ports 26, as well as a butterfly valve 31 within the exhaust manifold proper. This valve 31 and the disc valve 30 are so set that when the ports are uncovered, the butterfly valve is vertical and hence obstructs the exhaust manifold forcing 7 the exhaust gases from the left hand exhaust ports to flow through the left port 26 and down the left side of the riser jacket to the throttle location and then upwardly on the rightside of the jackets to the right hand port 26 whence the gases return to the exhaust manifold. This arrangement gives the hot adjustment for cold weather operation. When the pointer 29 is turned to the cold? position the butterfly valve is rotated to permit the direct passage of the exhaust gases and at the same time the disc valve 30 closes the ports 26, thus cutting on the supply of heating gases to the manifold jacket.

The riser conduit 16 is'enlarged at 32 for most of its length and contains an inner thin metal tube 33 spaced therefrom to form an annular passage 34 communicating with the inside of the tube through ports 35 and 36 at the ends of the passage 34. A butterfly valve 3'? is positioned in the tube 33 on a cross shaft 38, and is operated by a lever 39 linked to a piston rod 40 carrying a piston 41 in a chamber 42 having asuction passage 43 communicating with the-manifold passage. The downward movement of the piston is resisted by a spring 44 so that when the manifold suction reaches a degreesufiici'ent to partially or fully collapse the spring the piston moves downwardly and closes the valve 37 to a corresponding extent. With the valve closed the carbureted mixture is forced to flow through the ports 35 into the passage 34 in direct contact with the heated wall 32; while when the valve 37 is open the mixture flows straight through and the passage 34 then-serves'to' insulate the tube 33 from the heating jacket. Moreover the vacuum in the manifold is slight for full open throttle so that the valve 37 is then open and under such circumstances the velocity of flow is at its maximum, so that the residual heating effect inside the tube has much less efiect on the mixture due to the increased velocity of flow.

When the mixture is bypassed through the annular passage 34 by the closing of the valve 37 the operating conditions are such that a minimum volume of flow exists and this flow is spread out into contact with the heatedwalls 32 so that very effective heating is obtained under idling conditions.

Figure 4 shows a slight modification wherein the single tube 33 is replaced by a double walled tube 45 which increases the insulation effect by forming a dead air space between the walls of the tubes.

It will thus be seen that I have invented a new and simplified heat control that will automatically vary the heat supplied to the mixture in accordance with the requirements of the engine.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A carbureting system for internal combustion engines including a carbureting device, a manifold forming a mixture passage connected to said device, heating means enveloping a portion of said mixture passage, means subdividing said' passage into concentric heated and unheated zones, and means for diverting the mix-- ture from one zone to the other to vary the heating effect of said heating means.

2. A carbureting system for internal combustion engines including a carbureting device and a distributing manifold therefor, a passaged connection between the carbureting device and the manifold, a tube inserted in said connection to 'form concentric paths for mixture flow, heating means for one of said paths of mixture .flow and automatically controlled means in said connection for causingxthe mixture to be diverted from one of said paths to the other.

3. A carbureting system for internal combustion engines including a carbureting device and a. distributing manifold therefor, a passaged connection between the carbureting device and the manifold, a tube inserted in said connection to form concentric paths for mixtu e 11 h a g means for one of said paths of mixture flow and automatically controlled means in said connection for causing the mixture to be diverted from one of said paths to the other, said latter means comprising means responsive to the vacuum in the manifold.

4. A carbureting system for internal combustion engines including a carbureting device and a distributing manifold therefor, a passaged connection between the carbureting device and the manifold, a tube inserted in said connection to form a concentric paths for mixture flow, heating means for one of said paths of mixture flow and means for imposing a barrier in one of said paths to cause the mixture to flow in the other path so as to vary the heating effect of said heating means.

5. In combination a mixture conduit forming part of the manifolding system of an internal combustion engine, heating means associated with the conduit, and means disposed within the conduit for varying the path of the mixture flow, said I last mentioned means comprising means for defining two interconnected passages in said conduit one of which passages serves to insulate the other passage from said heating means, and means for diverting the mixture from one passage to the other to move said mixture into and out of-direct contact with the heating zone of said heating means.

6. In combination a mixture conduit forming part of the manifolding system of an internal combustion engine, heating means associated with the conduit, and means disposed within the conduit for varying the path of the mixture flow, said last mentioned means comprising means for defining two concentric interconnected passages in said conduit, and means for diverting the mixture from one passage to the other to move said mixture into and out of direct contact with the heating zone of said heating means.

7. In combination a mixture conduit forming part of the manifolding system of an internal combustion engine, heatingv means associated with the conduit, and means disposed within the conduit for varying the path of the mixture flow, said last mentioned means comprising means for defining two concentric interconnected passages in said conduit, and means for diverting the mixture from one passage to the other to move said mixture into and out of direct contact with the heating zone of said heating means, and means responsive to the suction in said conduit for controlling said diverting means.

8. In combination a mixture conduit forming part of the manifolding system of an internal combustion engine, heating means associated with the conduit, and means disposed within the conduit for varying the path of the mixture flow, said last mentioned means comprising means for defining two interconnected passages in said conduit one of which passages serves to insulate the other passage from said heating means and means for imposing a barrier in one passage to cause the mixture to flow in the other passage'to be acted upon by said heating means.

9. A carbureting system for internal combustion engines including a carbureting device, a mixture conduit connected to said device, heating means enveloping a portion of said mixture conduit, means subdividing said, conduit into interconnected parallel and adjoining heated and insulated zones and means in one zone for diverting the mixture from one zone to the other of said i memes conduit to vary. the heating eiicct of said heating means.

m. A csrbureting system for internal combustionengines including a csrbureting device, a mixture conduit connected to said device, heating means enveloping a. portion of said mixture conduit, means subdividing said conduit into interconnected parallel and adjoining heated and insuisted zones, means for diverting the mixture from one zone to the other of said conduit to vary the heating efiect of said heating means, and means controlled by the vacuum in said manifold for operating said diverting means.

11. A carbureting system for internal combustion engines including a csrbureting device, a mixture conduit connected to said device, heating means enveloping a, portion of said mixture conduit, means suodiviiiing said conduit into interconnecteci psraiiei and adjoining heated and insulated zones and. means for imposing a. barrier in the unheated zone of said conduit to cause said mixture to flow in the heated zone so as to be acted upon by sa-i heating means.

12. A csrbureting system for interns! combustion engines including a cerbureting device, a mixture conduit connected to said device, heating means enveloping a. portion of said mixture conduit, means subdividing said conduit into interconnected parallel and adjoining heated and insulated zones, means for imposing a. barrier in the unheated zone to cause said mixture to flow in the heated zone of said conduit so as to be acted upon by said heating means, and means controlled by the vacuum in said manifold for operating said diverting means.

EHARLES H. mm.

ass 

